Looking Though Patterns

 

Lauren (Rugs and Pugs) and I will be going to a rug camp with Katie Hartner as our teacher in March. Lauren asked me what pattern I would be working on. Hmmm . Do I have one I want to do? Should I draw one up? Should I buy one?? I went to the Woolley Fox site and didn't fall in love with any of her patterns. Some I liked, some I've already hooked. I was a big Woolley Fox fan in the early 2000's after attending a rug camp at Barb Carroll's.

Anyways, I decided to look through what I have. I'll organize, I'll make a list. And so I did. I have patterns, I have pieces of linen, I have red dot tracer and I have ideas. But I did not come up with an idea for rug camp. Not yet. 

I was telling Lauren that I had a Woolley Fox pattern that I had started hooking long ago. It was to be for a grandson's nursery. I hooked and hooked. I got it 2/3 done and my daughter informed me she changed the nursery theme. What???? So I never worked on it again. It sat in the corner, it moved to Georgia, it moved back to Ohio, still in the corner. Said grandson is now 23 years old. 

So I pulled it out of hiding. Looked at it some more, and I don't like it. There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't like it. I can't see where I'd ever use it even if it was completed.  So yesterday I pulled out all those loops, being careful so I can reuse both the wool and the pattern. 

Here's the worms. I even separated them by color. I still have lots of the background color in yardage. I thought that maybe someday I would finish this rug and need it. so I never let myself use that wool. 

These are the threads, not a whole lot. I was being careful after all. 

I see where the pattern got dirty. I plan on cleaning it up, then ironing it. I'm going to use some type of device and roll over it hoping to close up some of the holes. That's my plan. As far as rehooking it I haven't decided. Maybe a large geometric or enlarge the Maggie Bonanomi settlement pattern I bought years ago. 

I get Mac on the school bus everyday. Today he asked me to take his picture with Henry. This was the only time this morning that he was quiet. He talked and talked and talked some more. I jokingly told his dad that he talked so much my ears hurt. And not the conversation kind of talking, just saying something, anything to be talking. 

All is well here. The sun is shining, the home fire is burning. Have a great day 

Sue 

Oh, to be young again

 Baby it's cold, it's cold outside. The thermometer reads 11', with a wind chill of -5'. Too cold for me. I truly dislike being cold. 

And this is Mac. First he cleaned the snow off the truck. I'm not even driving the truck right now. It's sitting with a power trickler hooked up to it. He then asked to shovel the drive. There's really no need, but he wanted to, so I gave him the snow shovel. 

He's so sweet, and so funny.

A great day to just stay inside. 

Sue

Making Progress

 I've not worked much on my Birds in the Garden rug. But slowly it's coming along. This rug sat for about six months because I just didn't know what to do with it. I've reworked two of the birds, one is still waiting. I made all of the acorns the larger variety. I've added a few motifs.

I filled the basket with little yellow, white, and orange flowers. It turned out really cute.

I hooked this acorn this week. 

And I started the fourth corner. The leaves are completed. Unless I decide to change something. 

The weather is to turn much colder tonight with some snow and a wind chill below zero. This cold front is only to last about 24'. Then back up in the 30's. Winter is when I really miss living in Georgia. 

I'm almost ready for Christmas. The house is decorated. Not to the extent of many of you, but simple and bright. The shopping is done, and I'll make some cut out cookies next week. Life is good. 

Sue

What I've Been Working On

 I've made a lot of progress this week. A lot. 

As I said, a lot. It's so much easier to work on when there's a plan. I still don't know what I'm going to hook across the bottom, but the rest is pretty well planned out. 

Bird #1 got some background filled in. 

So did bird #2.

And then I hooked this basket in-between those two birds. I'm going to put some flowers in the basket, I just haven't decided what color the flowers will be. 

Plus a few blades of grass. 

Here's the other side. I've mostly worked on the right side, so the only thing with this bird is a bit of background. And I added the beeskep. I had to reverse hook a bit on this as I had too much gold in it. 

Bird #4 got some stems placed. 

For the center I hooked a log cabin. Now this I hooked three times. The first was a golden color, the second the logs were too dark, then the chinking was too light. I reverse hooked the roof, but I got the chimney right the first time. 

Thanksgiving was very good. Just my son and his kids. But the company and the food was very good. I kept Mac overnight and took him swimming at the Y on Friday.

Several of the blogs I read have already decked their home out for Christmas. Today I got a few totes out but I'm really not in the spirit of Christmas yet. Time flies, Christmas is just three weeks away. My shopping is almost done, mostly through Amazon and Wal-Mart. I signed up for the Wal-Mart + deal and got a couple gifts and groceries delivered right to the front door. Am I supposed to tip the delivery lady? I did, but my daughter in law says she does not. I did like the delivery aspect. And I get paramount+ for a year. 

Have a good week, Sue

Three down, one to go

 I've been hooking a bit this week on the Birds in the Garden rug. I've got three of the birds hooked. Yay!! And I have a plan for the center and the sides. Between Maria and I it's been drawn on it so many times I can hardly make out the final design. I'll just muddle on through. 

I've also realized I don't have enough background to do it all in what you see. I contacted my local ( an hour away) shop and she does not have that specific wool or another I'd considered. So I went through my worm box and will just mix in a bunch of dark colored wools. I think the center will have to be even a different color. I sure hope this works out like I've got planned. 

I've also rearranged my sewing room to accommodate hooking in there. Maybe I'll get more hooking done when I can just leave my mess and start up again another day. When I hook in my living room I really dislike seeing the mess. We shall see, especially as it gets colder. I supplement my heat by burning wood. The living room is usually much warmer. 

This week is Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for. I think being thankful is a choice. You can look for the good in life, or dwell on the not so good. Thanksgiving will be at my house, just a few of us. But life is good. 

Enjoy the holiday. Enjoy those who you are celebrating with. 

Sue

Birds in the Garden

 Y'all might remember this rug.

I started this in a class with Maria Barton. That was in July. I showed her a picture I got off the Internet of an antique rug. I asked Saundra to draw it up for me. And off to camp I went. Maria helped pick the colors. They were what I asked for. I knew I didn't want the horseshoes in the center, but I wasn't sure what I wanted. It seems too big of a space to not put something there. Maria suggested a house or log cabin. I think I like this idea. But the house as drawn seems too big.

At the end of camp my rug looked like this.

After I got home I stopped working on it. I really disliked it. So I ripped out the flowers, then the birds except for one. Earlier this week I ripped out the leaves. And decided I wanted more warm colors and I would work on the parts I could settle on, the leaves. It's a small start, but it's a start. 

I've also decided to redraw the birds and  make them less upright. I've thought about putting a couple bunnies or a squirrel in more oak leaves running across the bottom. I guess I'll just work on it one motif at a time. Leaves, birds, house, spaces between birds, bottom, top. Hmmm.  The plan sounds like it has cracks. 

It sure has turned chilly. I keep saying it's wintertime, to which Mac tells me it's actually still fall. 

He also tells me that actually the days are not getting shorter, they are still 24 hours long. 

Have the best of weekends,

Sue

I Fixed It

 Little Miss Sassy Pants, I fixed Pumpkin Boy. It only took about 5 minutes. And boy is it harder to hook when the piece isn't  held taut and in place by the frame. 

I obviously didn't check to make sure the picture turned out okay. It's very fuzzy. Sorry.

And after.

Thank you for your motivating comments. Truly, I mean it. 

Sue